Monday, June 17, 2013

Butt in Chair: This Isn't Always Good Advice

We
hear this advice all the time from all kinds of writers. They tell us that only by applying ourselves
day in and day out can we become writers.

I
agree but only to a point. After all,
you do have to develop your writing skills and you’re only going to do that by
actually writing. In spite of this,
sometimes Butt in Chair is really bad advice.

Recently,
I got together for coffee with a writing buddy.
She had recently sent three chapters off to an editor we met at a
writer’s retreat. “I just can’t make
myself write! It feels like everything I
do makes the manuscript worse.”

My
advice to her? Then don’t write.

In
my experience, if you feel like you are making a writing project worse, you
probably are. Even if you aren’t making
it worse, you probably aren’t making it any better. Get up and get away from your work. What you
do next depends in part on what is going on in your writing life.

Have
you been writing a lot lately?Had some
big deadlines to meet? You may just need to recharge your batteries.Do something fun and non-writing
related.Meet a writing buddy for
coffee. Chocolate is also awesome. Swim laps. Go to a gallery. Do whatever
non-writing thing makes you happy.

Did
this case of “I can’t write” follow a rejection?Show the rejection to a writing friend and
ask for her perspective.My friend had
just gotten a rejection, but there were no comments.For a seasoned writer, this can ring just as
many alarm bells as harsh comments, but a writing friend can talk you down.

Have
you been working on this project for a while?Sometimes we lose track of why we loved a certain idea once we are deep
in the drudgery of writing.If this
could be the case, go back to whatever inspired this particular project.See the movie again.Visit the museum.Reread the news story.Often this reignites the spark for a
particular project.

Did you just find another book too similar to your own project?Don’t panic until you’ve read it.I know this sounds counterproductive, but if
you are competitive, read the competition.How can your book be better?Once
you have this goal in sight, the words often start flowing once again.

There
is no single cause for a case of “my manuscript stinks,” but there are
solutions. You just need to find the one
that will work for you.

Finding the source is a great idea. I am thinking that more and more lately. Figure out goals first, before you write/market. Figure out what is blocking you or wasting your time BEFORE you give up or try to fix it. Otherwise it's like trying to fix a car with broken brakes by giving it an oil change. :) (How about that for a car similie?)